How do chemists model, organize, classify, and measure elements and compounds that make up our world?

Why Take This Course?

Chemistry A is the next step to understanding our world around us. Starting with atoms!

Chemistry is called the middle science. It bridges the gap between physics and our everyday world. It is the why and how of biology. For chemistry and by chemistry, nations have risen and fallen. At the heart of this science stands the Periodic Table of Elements, one of mankind’s greatest achievements. The periodic table is to science as Shakespeare and the King James Bible are to English. In High School Chemistry course we will explore these elements, born in the heat of dying stars, and discover a world beyond imagination: our own. Take this course to prepare for Chemistry B.

Course Framework

Unit 1

Unit 2

Unit 3

Unit 4

What is matter and how is it measured, studied, and described?

What information do chemists have about atoms and elements?

What is a mole? How do atoms bond to form compounds?

How do chemists represent, calculate, and study chemical reactions?

What is chemistry and what are the tools chemists use to study it?

How did scientists arrive at the current model of an atom?

What is a mole and why is it important in chemistry?

How do I write a balanced chemical equation?

How do chemists measure matter and account for error in measurement?

How do chemists represent the structure of an atom and its electrons?

What is an ion and how does it form compounds?

What is stoichiometry and how do I use it to find limiting reagents and percent yield?

How do chemists describe matter and its physical and chemical properties?

How did the periodic table come to be?

How do chemists understand, name, and represent covalent bonds and the compounds they form?

How can I use collision theory and potential energy diagrams to predict the rate of a chemical reaction?

What information do chemists find in the periodic table?

Texts and Materials Students Must Purchase

Author

Title

Sam Kean

The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements